Following months of deliberation, Nevada City Council officially moved to adopt a five-year rate schedule for water and wastewater (sewer) rate increases during its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, October 14 at City Hall. The decision was made in the wake of a lengthy public hearing on the matter, in which numerous residents questioned the timing, practicality, and affordability of potential rate changes while urging the council to consider funding alternatives for improving the city’s aging infrastructure — including water and sewer lines that officials described as nearly a century old. Per city officials, under the proposed schedule, water rates will be set to a recommended increase of approximately 25% annually, while wastewater charges will rise under a separate schedule with recommended increases of roughly 12% annually. 

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